Don't wait for others to take the initiative
Improvement: A person or thing that represents an advance on another in excellence or achievement
To succeed as a manager, you will generally be ready to put your full support behind any company-wide improvement programmes. Most of these will be agreed upon first at board level before being passed down for implementation. But in career terms, it doesn't really make sense to wait for others to take the initiative. It is much better to develop the mentality of looking for continuous improvement, so that you are ahead of the game and able to deliver more than expected.
On a personal level, that means regularly reviewing one's progress against defined goals, and taking concrete action. To keep improving, you must ask yourself how the organisation is changing and which new skills will be needed in future. For instance, signs might point towards increasing online sales, new sourcing patterns, or investment in expanding markets. Each will call for specialist knowledge.
Therefore, as part of the weekly routine, schedule some time to do market research or read more widely about the industry. If, say, new legislation is pending, you will then be able to assess the possible implications and plan accordingly.
Similarly, by keeping in touch with customers, it will be easier to detect market trends and introduce improvements before your competitors.